Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca) is an edible and medicinal wild plant that I wish was native to Ontario. This herb is so popular it has been planted all around the world. Motherwort is uncommon here, yet it spontaneously showed up in my brush pile beside my driveway one year. It does have lookalikes, particularly in the … [Read more…]
Joe-Pye weed (Eupatorium maculatum) grows well along ponds, wetlands and streams, but any damp sunny area will do. It is one of the pollinator all-stars of edible and medicinal plants. Joe-Pye weed is common around Haliburton in low wet areas by ponds, marshes, streams, and even damp ditches. One spontaneously appeared by my rain barrel … [Read more…]
Catnip isn’t native to Ontario, but at least it’s not as aggressive as many other mints. It’s a surprisingly useful edible and medicinal plant, if you’re not pregnant. And whether or not you’re a cat. Catnip (Nepeta cataria) is uncommon around Haliburton, but I find it around old farmsteads. It may also show up in … [Read more…]
Spring-beauty (Claytonia caroliniana) is one of our first spring flowers. It’s a small, striped edible and medicinal ephemeral and one of our first available bee foods. It even has its own specialist bee, the spring beauty miner. You might see non-natives like crocus and coltsfoot bloom first in the spring, before our bees even come out … [Read more…]
Bull thistle (Cirsium vulgare) is a common sight in sunny pastures and along the roadside here. Its (also euro) cousin Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense) will be covered another time, even though the edible and medicinal usage is similar. Bull thistle is more edible. I’m going to interrupt this piece to invite you to join me … [Read more…]
Roses (Rosa spp.) are both edible and medicinal. They have a global epicurean history that surpasses other herbs we’ve covered. A rosy pink Turkish delight may come to mind. The floral taste may take some getting used to, like a fine wine often does. I love the flavor. We have a handful of wild roses … [Read more…]